1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to firearms, and more particularly, to devices for facilitating the safe handling of firearms.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Automatic and semiautomatic firearms or guns such as magazine loaded rifles and handguns typically have a firing pin which when struck by the hammer of the firearm, is driven forward striking and discharging the cartridge held within the firing chamber of the firearm. Several devices have been proposed to selectively block the firing pin to prevent the firearm from being accidentally fired. For example, in a semiautomatic handgun, these devices (often referred to as "firing pin blocks") are typically mounted within the frame of the gun and have mechanical linkages to the firing pin itself which is usually carried in the slide of the gun. These previous firing pin blocks have tended to be relatively complicated and, because of their location adjacent the handgrip of the frame, are susceptible to being accidentally disengaged by the shooter. Moreover, many such firing pin block devices do not constantly block the firing pin when activated, but instead cooperate with other mechanisms such as the hammer actuator mechanism to only block the firing pin in certain hammer positions.
Other safety devices include loaded chamber indicators which indicate to the shooter whether a cartridge is seated in the firing chamber in position for firing. Many previous loaded chamber indicators have included a spring-loaded pin which has one end positioned relative to the firing chamber such that a cartridge loaded in the chamber engages and pushes the indicator pin outward. This outward movement of the pin usually causes a portion of the pin to protrude beyond the exterior of the gun providing an indication that a cartridge is loaded in the chamber. These pins are often relatively small in diameter and can be susceptible to breakage. Moreover, dirt lodged against the pin can immobilize the pin causing the gun to jam.
Still another safety device is the thumb safety so called because it is typically actuated by the shooter's thumb. The thumb safety usually locks the gun so that the hammer is prevented from falling even though the trigger is pulled. To activate the safety, most thumb safeties have an exterior lever on the left-hand side of the gun positioned adjacent the thumb of a right-handed user. Pivoting the lever causes the safety to engage and "lock" the hammer actuator.
To accommodate left-handed users, some thumb safeties allow a second lever to be placed on the right-hand side of the gun to form an "ambidextrous" thumb safety. This second lever is often attached to a shaft extending transversely through the gun. One problem experienced with ambidextrous thumb safeties of this type is that the second thumb lever can sometimes work loose from the shaft of the safety so that positive engagement of the safety is not always assured.
Many left-handed shooters prefer to have only the single thumb safety lever on the right-hand side of the gun so that the lever on the left-hand side of the gun is eliminated. However, many guns require such a thumb safety for "lefties" to be custom crafted by a skilled gunsmith.
Other devices for safe handling of firearms relate to the loading and unloading of ammunition. In one type of gun, the cartridges to be fired by the gun are carried in a removable magazine which is inserted into a portion of the frame of the gun often referred to as the "magazine well." In many magazine-type guns, the magazine falls freely from the magazine well under the influence of gravity once released. The released magazine will fall to the ground unless caught by the shooter placing his hand beneath the gun. This is a desirable feature under certain circumstances but requires additional care on the part of the shooter. Other magazine-type guns have a catch mechanism which only allows the magazine to partially drop from the magazine well once released. The shooter may then manually withdraw the magazine the rest of the way from the well. However, it is not believed that there is presently available a magazine-type gun in which the user may select between allowing the magazine to drop freely and allowing the magazine to only partially drop from the well to prevent complete release of the magazine.